Puck - Anyone miss how he was early on?

Personally, I think he would annoy the hell out of me in real life and I probably would want to squash him, but I do enjoy how he was depicted early on. I kind of miss his flashes of insight that would come out of nowhere like how he would sometimes check Guts and told the Baron off. I kind of miss the old relationship he had with Guts, but I can understand why that had to end. It doesn't really seem the same now that he is mostly purely comic relief aside from the occasional teamup with Isidro and Everella has taken on the wise elf role that would occasionally be expressed by Puck in more than just play acting.

You know I'm kind of surprised to say that I actually liked Puck since he used to do nothing but get on my nerves, but hey maybe that isn't all bad and mirrors the relationship he has with Guts. Damn, maybe I'm getting soft. :puck: :puck:
 

CnC

Ad Oculos
Well, Puck's relationship with Guts is still about the same as it has been. However, Pucks role as a conscience has evolved into more of a partner since Guts isn't roaming around looking for apostles to kill anymore.

Narratively speaking there are many more characters in Guts party that can take the role of providing insight or say what you might have heard Puck say circa vol 1-3. Do I miss having Puck do it? Nah, not really. Plus most of the stuff he's been doing recently has been hilarious. :ganishka:
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
To add on what CnC said, the problem is also that since many new characters have been become part of Guts' group, their character development makes it difficult to focus too much on Puck. He's one of the characters that has been around the longest, so I feel that he's been put on the side in that regard, leaving space for the newcomers to develop. Hopefully, he'll take a more prominent part in the story again once Elfhelm is reached. Anyway, to answer your question, I do regret that he's not featured as much as he used to be.

Ironhand said:
It doesn't really seem the same now that he is mostly purely comic relief aside from the occasional teamup with Isidro and Everella has taken on the wise elf role that would occasionally be expressed by Puck in more than just play acting.

I don't completely agree with you here, I think Puck still has serious and meaningful moments, although they definitely got much rarer and more brief when the new members joined their group. The one that comes to mind as I type this is his reflexion on the Berserk's armor in episode 228. Other than that, he suffers from the "small line syndrome", meaning that his lines are usually very small and easily overlooked, not to mention that they're often difficult to understand for non-Japanese speakers. Overall, I don't think that comic relief is incompatible with having serious development/scenes (other characters are more than enough proof of this), so I'm hoping that he'll get more development in the future, possibly along with Ivalera, Azan, Serpico, and maybe... Casca? :guts:
 
I really miss the old Puck, back when he was a serious character and one who was actually important to the story. With the influx of new characters Puck's been relegated to comic relief, with even the art style used for him being downgraded. I'm not against Puck providing comic relief, but there is lot more to his character than that. At the moment he seems to be nothing but a comedic fool that follows Guts about for no real reason, all very at odds with his character's genuine personality.

You can still see traces of his real personality at times, but they are few and far between. As Aazealh suggested, I hope that he will be brought back into focus when the group reach Elfhelm, hopefully with more of his original personality.

I also agree with Aazealh about Puck's inscrutable lines, but I feel that the very fact that he is given "small lines" for so much of his speech is due to his current position within the cast as comic relief. For example, Guts, the "straight man" has, to my recollection, had virtually no small lines of that nature at all.

I agree that comic relief doesn't preclude serious character roles, but it makes them harder to write well and harder to take seriously. With so many characters vying for development, it's all too easy for the comic relief to be sidelined.

I’m rather biased on this topic, as Puck is perhaps my favourite character, but I’m sure most readers would agree that the shift from Guts’ companion to comic relief has been heavily detrimental to his character. I can certainly see why Miura chose to use Puck’s character as comic relief, but comic relief can come from a multitude of sources and doesn’t have to be focused entirely on one or two characters. I find that the one or two moments in the series where Guts or Griffith took part in a joke or some other form of deliberate comic relief were much more effective as comic relief and also gave excellent character development that is lost when all of the comic relief is forced onto one or two characters.

I’m sorry if I’ve repeated myself a little, I didn’t intend my first post here to be so prolix, but I really miss the more serious yet cute and lovable personality (and indeed artwork) that Puck has been deprived of since the expansion of Guts’ group.
 

Okin

The Ultimate Battle Creature
I don't think it would hurt if Puck gave his serious view a little more often like he did in the earlier volumes, but I think its been made up for with the perspective of Guts' new companions.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Ralwatt said:
For example, Guts, the "straight man" has, to my recollection, had virtually no small lines of that nature at all.
Sure he has. Volume 10 is chock full of them. And I can recall just about 5 off the top of my head. They're there, you just have to look for them.
 
I'm pretty sure that Puck will get his long over due character development and backstory when they reach Elfhelm.

I can't remember what episode this occurs in but when :guts: asks :puck: about why he left Elfhelm, :puck: replies that he got bored.

Now either :puck: was just being a comedic smart ass when he said it, somebody told puck to leave to get help on Elfhelm, or :puck: got exiled. I putting my money on exiled because of the little instance he had with Evarella, about the king (I can't remember which episode, it occurred in)
 

Guts intestines

Yer breath is bad... It'll go away with yer head
bardoftheberserk said:
I'm pretty sure that Puck will get his long over due character development and backstory when they reach Elfhelm.

I can't remember what episode this occurs in but when :guts: asks :puck: about why he left Elfhelm, :puck: replies that he got bored.

Now either :puck: was just being a comedic smart ass when he said it, somebody told puck to leave to get help on Elfhelm, or :puck: got exiled. I putting my money on exiled because of the little instance he had with Evarella, about the king (I can't remember which episode, it occurred in)
interesting thoughts, huh Puck the renegade.... interesting and hilarious.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Guts' intestines said:
interesting thoughts, huh Puck the renegade.... interesting and hilarious.

A rather common speculation to be honest. There have been a number of discussions about it in the past if you're interested.
 
I just really like Puck, even if he doesnt contribute seriously to the story that much anymore. I just read the whole page, all the important story stuff, and after that I look at what puck is doing and saying and chuckle my way to the next page. Would be funny if Puck actually turns out to be someone really important in Elfheim. Renegade prince? :p
 

xbigvmanx

Gutz is a Bad azz
This might be a little off the subject but since we are talking about Puck I have a theory. I think Puck is the son of the Elf King. Sure I might be going off the limb here but I suspect there's more to Puck's identity then meets the eye. For reason that are yet to be revealed I think he ran away from home because he does not want to take up the responsibilities of being a prince. His reasons for saying he was bored makes me curious about him. Has anyone ever noticed Puck doesn't give much details about Elfheim. He didn't even tell Guts and company about the Elf King and the reasons why he left Elfheim were very vague. So to anyone reading this don't go making some geeky remarks I am totally wrong on my theory and its only a theory with no proven facts. I thought I should throw that out here discuss it and maybe a few years from now we will see the answer to this theory.
 

Guts intestines

Yer breath is bad... It'll go away with yer head
xbigvmanx said:
This might be a little off the subject but since we are talking about Puck I have a theory. I think Puck is the son of the Elf King. Sure I might be going off the limb here but I suspect there's more to Puck's identity then meets the eye. For reason that are yet to be revealed I think he ran away from home because he does not want to take up the responsibilities of being a prince. His reasons for saying he was bored makes me curious about him. Has anyone ever noticed Puck doesn't give much details about Elfhelm. He didn't even tell Guts and company about the Elf King and the reasons why he left Elfhelm were very vague. So to anyone reading this don't go making some geeky remarks I am totally wrong on my theory and its only a theory with no proven facts. I thought I should throw that out here discuss it and maybe a few years from now we will see the answer to this theory.

You aren't going out on a limb at all, I thought the same thing as a possibility and others probably did too.
 
I want to go with king Hanafupucku.

As for the topic, I somewhat miss what the story was during the Black Swordsman and Retribution arcs (sociopathic protagonists rock); those arcs are what made me really fall in love with the story. Of course I still rather like epic fantasies so Berserk still works for me. I prefer funny Puck to insightful Puck, although I do miss Guts treating Puck like a pest.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
nfries88 said:
As for the topic, I somewhat miss what the story was during the Black Swordsman and Retribution arcs (sociopathic protagonists rock) ... I prefer funny Puck to insightful Puck, although I do miss Guts treating Puck like a pest.
I've never understood this perspective, but I've seen it posted several times here. We've all seen Guts grow, mature and change as a person, and seen the reasons for the maturity. His relationship with Puck is not any different. It's grown over time and with their travels. So, how could you prefer one stage of his personality over another? It just seems ... weird to me. How can you think of Guts in terms of distinct persons? He's all Guts.

Then again, maybe I'm just so attached to Guts after these years that I can't really perceive him in fragments, like "Lost Children Guts is cooler than Millennium Falcon Guts!" I can't see him as being anything other than a fully realized character.
 

Scorpio

Courtesy of Grail's doodling.
I dunno, I think it's pretty easy. I know all kinds of people that I used to like but don't really care for anymore, and vice versa. Granted, this might have something to do with me changing as well. People change, and while the lines between these segments is almost always blurred, everyone goes through different stages in their personality (but you knew that). So while I agree with you on enjoying Guts as a fully realized character, its also not so difficult to break him down into parts if one was so inclined. Especially as the series' length increases.
 
Walter said:
I've never understood this perspective, but I've seen it posted several times here. We've all seen Guts grow, mature and change as a person, and seen the reasons for the maturity. His relationship with Puck is not any different. It's grown over time and with their travels. So, how could you prefer one stage of his personality over another? It just seems ... weird to me. How can you think of Guts in terms of distinct persons? He's all Guts.

Then again, maybe I'm just so attached to Guts after these years that I can't really perceive him in fragments, like "Lost Children Guts is cooler than Millennium Falcon Guts!" I can't see him as being anything other than a fully realized character.

Surely he's still the same character, but you can't deny that his actions have changed in the past 10 volumes or so.
I really miss the crazy stuff he used to do, like when he used that kid as bait for Roshine's "elves" or when he kidnapped the half-naked Farnese and escaped with her on horseback. I couldn't picture volume 32's Guts doing that stuff, even if the occasion where they would be his best options were to arise.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
nfries88 said:
Surely he's still the same character, but you can't deny that his actions have changed in the past 10 volumes or so.
I really miss the crazy stuff he used to do, like when he used that kid as bait for Roshine's "elves" or when he kidnapped the half-naked Farnese and escaped with her on horseback. I couldn't picture volume 32's Guts doing that stuff, even if the occasion where they would be his best options were to arise.

Because he's grown as a character. I totally agree with what Walter said word for word and what he said doesn't really allow for any rebuttal. Now we are just talking in circles.
 

Graywords

Bettychu, I choose YOU!
Oburi said:
I totally agree with what Walter said word for word and what he said doesn't really allow for any rebuttal.
I wouldn't go THAT far. Hell, Walter even said he was confused and wondered how it is that people can view Guts like that... the others were just answering. :)

Some people like Young Elvis and hate Fat Elvis, and some people like The King as a whole person with his strengths and flaws. It's an age-old conflict of perspective. :troll:
 
First, yay! That's my first post after reading so much through the forum! \o/

Second, I can't understand what is so wrong spliting your view of a person on levels/periods of age. Personaly, I like Guts more as he is now. Wiser, kinder, more of a hurt than a freak guy (but still with both of them) and even so, very manly :guts:
All the things he's done till now contribute a lot to his character development but somehow it seems now that he's deeper and complex than ever - but unfortunately, he doesn't speak much :(
As for Puck, I miss his old manners... If there isn't any secret about his story at Elfhelm, I think he'll only develop/change if the situation get really dark (with Casca's horrible memories coming back and all it envolves). When he was alone with guts, there weren't really any kids or stupid people to play and tease...
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
I believe we'll get a lot more info regarding Puck while the gang is in Elfhelm.  His background hasn't really been delved into much so far in the series.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Shadax said:
Would be funny if Puck actually turns out to be someone really important in Elfhelm. Renegade prince? :p
xbigvmanx said:
This might be a little off the subject but since we are talking about Puck I have a theory. I think Puck is the son of the Elf King.

This is the first thing everyone thought of when Hanafubuku Oh was first mentioned and Puck avoided answering Isidro and Ivalera's questions. Nothing new, really.

nfries88 said:
Surely he's still the same character, but you can't deny that his actions have changed in the past 10 volumes or so.

They haven't changed that much. It's mostly the situations he's in that have changed. The responsabilities he's taken and the like.

Lara Skadi said:
First, yay! That's my first post after reading so much through the forum! \o/

Hey there, welcome to SK.net. :SK:

Lara Skadi said:
Second, I can't understand what is so wrong spliting your view of a person on levels/periods of age. Personaly, I like Guts more as he is now. Wiser, kinder, more of a hurt than a freak guy (but still with both of them) and even so, very manly :guts:
All the things he's done till now contribute a lot to his character development but somehow it seems now that he's deeper and complex than ever - but unfortunately, he doesn't speak much :(

Well there you go. Right there, that's what's wrong. You can't realistically argue that the person Guts is right now has nothing to do with who he was in the past. His character development is very coherent; it's all linked together. In the context of the story, it doesn't make much sense to arbitrarily separate him in different entities as if he weren't a single character, and I think it shows a lack of comprehension. It's a whole package and to me, those who can't see it as such are missing out on something.

Lara Skadi said:
When he was alone with guts, there weren't really any kids or stupid people to play and tease...

Haha, but he did tease Guts and Jill and all sorts of people anyway. :guts:
 
Hey there, welcome to SK.net.
Thank you for welcoming me! :serpico:

You can't realistically argue that the person Guts is right now has nothing to do with who he was in the past. His character development is very coherent; it's all linked together. In the context of the story, it doesn't make much sense to arbitrarily separate him in different entities as if he weren't a single character, and I think it shows a lack of comprehension. It's a whole package and to me, those who can't see it as such are missing out on something.
Oh, no, but I'm not saying he has nothing to do now to what he was before, or that it's as if it were more than one character. It's just that he's developed so much you can say he had different phases of manners, as we all do in life. You can say you admired/identified yourself with your friend more when he was young and didn't care about anything, when he was the funniest person in the world, than now that he's a more serious person and has his job and family to take care of, even though you still love him the same. :)

Haha, but he did tease Guts and Jill and all sorts of people anyway.
but he didn't have a monkey yet :carcus:
 

Truder

"I frown at Griffith's nipples" -Aazealh
Puck is just sort of there, He hardly ever says anything meaningful anymore. :puck:
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
Truder said:
Puck is just sort of there, He hardly ever says anything meaningful anymore. :puck:

While he may be used these days primarily for comic relief, that's all going to change when the crew gets to Elfhelm. Mark my words. :puck:
 
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